Too Young
by ElisabethDarling
Summary: A one shot about little Yuzu; maybe she is not what she seems, maybe she sees a lot more than people assume. "As Kisuke calls for Mr. Tsukabishi he feels a nostalgic chill creep up his spine because he remembers when Yuzu's mother came to him covered in blood, and for the first time he is disturbed by how much she looks like Masaki."


She doesn't like Renji Abarai and even that is an _understatement_.

Had her brother died that cold night he and his captain left Ichigo _bleeding_ and alone in the open darkness for someone to find _(Ichigo's unharmed body next to his mangled spirit) _she might have hated him. But, she reasons, pushing back a piece of auburn hair behind her ear, since he did leave with the intent of Ichigo dying, Renji Abarai might as well have murdered her mother's only son—this is why she hates her brother's new _friend_.

Yuzu isn't known to be hateful or mean; she has the delusional impression of a sweet little girl imposed upon her by everyone that knows her. But Yuzu finds this forced persona benefits her in the end because she can keep her thoughts and opinions hidden easily. People forget she is around more readily—and she can know things without other people aware that she knows them.

The only person who Yuzu can count on seeing through her façade is Ichigo. Of course Ichigo has always been able to _see _things more clearly than other people. Even Karin and Yuzu for all of their sense and sight cannot touch Ichigo when it comes to seeing things that shouldn't be there. Still, Yuzu worships the ground that Ichigo walks on because he is her older brother—and because that is what good, sweet little sisters do. She knows that he sees straight through her act and when he is cold to her or teases her too much she'll even forget herself for a moment and yell at him.

"You're such a jerk!" She'll yell, red in the face and open her mouth to continue when she sees a smile of victory reach his eyes,

"_You're slipping," _His eyes would say, "_You don't fool me."_ And she would snap her mouth shut and run to her room. Karin would yell at him for her later, Karin will be everything Yuzu cannot be. But even Karin doesn't know what Yuzu knows about when their brother nearly died.

Because she followed him that night; she remembers still being awake and deciding to clean the kitchen some more before trying to fall asleep again. Being an eleven-year-old substitute mother left Yuzu with anxiety and anger far beyond her years. Rukia doesn't notice that she runs past Yuzu when she slips out of the front door and Yuzu had the good sense to dip behind the counter when she hears her brother rush down the stairs several minutes later intent on going after her; before that she had heard voices coming from up in Ichigo's room. It only takes a few moments of hesitation for Yuzu to slip on boots and a jacket and then run after her brother.

She feels a rush of spiritual energy release itself and slowly approaches the epicenter of the action. She ducks behind a tree and watches—horrified when a man with flaming red hair cuts her brother down and then fiercely proud when Ichigo stands back up to fight him. She is too frightened to yell when she sees all of the blood erupt from Ichigo's chest—_but all she wants to do is scream_.

"_Not him," _She thinks hysterically, "_I don't know who or what to pray to but please not my brother…I can never have another brother; my family will be broken—not my brother."_

Yuzu remembers her anger then, when Renji steps on Ichigo's head and tells him that he didn't know, "When to give up," and that he should quit struggling so that he might, "live a little longer," and she _hates _him. The way that they look at her brother, her mother's son, Ichigo—they look at him like he is below them and worthless—the way they mock him and call him _human, _it makes her skin crawl. When Yuzu thinks that maybe Rukia will say something—she kicks Ichigo's hand down…but she cannot hate her because Rukia jumped on Renji to save Ichi-nii and tells him to run.

Once the others leave she is on her feet and running towards him, blood covers her hands and clothes and she is crying at him to wake up. Beside her is a boy from Ichigo's school, also bloody but not as bad as her brother. He is telling her to go find help. Before he can finish his sentence Yuzu finds herself running then to Mr. Urahara's shop and pounding on the door, yelling for help. She doesn't understand how but she just _knows _he will be able to help. She's always had a knack at knowing things. When Mr. Urahara finally opens the door with a sleepy face and disheveled hair, Yuzu is breathing unevenly and half sobbing,

"Ichigo is hurt, someone tried to kill him, I can't—I can't—I can't…" He is quick to respond the moment he sees her covered in blood.

As Kisuke calls for Mr. Tsukabishi he feels a nostalgic chill creep up his spine because he remembers when Yuzu's mother came to him covered in blood and for the first time he is disturbed by how much she looks like Masaki.

When Mr. Urahara tells her that Ichigo will be safe with him she is relieved and when Mr. Urahara does something that he thinks will make Yuzu forget everything that happened she plays along…she always does that though.

After, Kisuke reflects on the Kurosaki siblings, as he finds himself doing from time to time, he notes with a lingering sadness how haunted all of their eyes are; never forgetting the night that Yuzu came to him, brown eyes full of fear and grief and panic, _"She should be in bed dreaming peacefully…" _But there she was, protecting her family in the ways her mother no longer could (_If today I don't do what I can because of some custom and someone dies because of it, I won't be able to forgive myself tomorrow_).

She gets angry as she watches her brother make a larger assortment of new friends and she has to endure Renji's presence while she walks home from school with her brother and sister.

There is a bald one, a feminine man, and a small white haired boy (along with Renji) most frequently. She wants to ask them who the hell they think they're fooling because they look too old (or young) to be in high school. To quell some of her pent up rage she starts spreading nasty rumors in the high school about all of them via her friend's older sisters.

"_I heard that Abarai kid did time in a prison."_

_ "I heard the three tall ones have been held back twice already." _

_ "The little one with the white hair runs drugs around for a gang. I've seen him running around constantly whenever his cell phone goes off—who knows where he's going…"_

She bites back her smile whenever they complain about how gossipy humans are or how pathetic it is that these kids have nothing better to fill their time with…but she knows that it bothers them. If there is one thing any observant girl can confirm, it's that men have tiny and fragile egos. Whenever they come into her house she is sure to make herself scarce, she doesn't want to make them food or bring them drinks. Sure it's common courtesy to cater towards the needs of guests…but one the these guests tried to murder Yuzu's brother and it makes her sick that he's even in her house.

She knows Ichigo does dangerous things for them—these adults that aren't even from their world use her older brother, who is still just a kid, to complete their dirty work. But she probably wouldn't have even minded that if it hadn't been for _him._ At first Renji wanted to humiliate and kill Ichigo and now he can't wait for her brother to come to his aide? Yuzu's fists clench even thinking about it. She is nearly ashamed by her anger and always surprised by her hatred.

The way he was so disrespectful and belligerent grated on her nerves. She finds herself dreading having to go to Urahara's Shop when Karin wants candy because Renji will be their pretending to sweep the floors or arguing with Jinta (_the boy who gave her free stuff and was really nice to her but not to that other girl_) or just existing with that smug look on his face. She has to be the world's greatest actress then because if she loses concentration for a moment she will be scowling—and Yuzu Kurosaki doesn't ever scowl. At her age Yuzu finds that tears are her best weapon (_she doesn't know of the other one yet) _and that scowling only makes her face look ugly.

Her father would tell her silly things to make her smile, her sister would chastise Yuzu for crying so much but understand why she did it, and Ichigo would defend her no matter what; Yuzu has to protect them. Her mother is dead now and it is up to her to keep them safe…because they are all very head strong (especially her siblings) and they are not always right (especially her Daddy). She loves them so much it makes her heart hurt but her face smile.

And so when Yuzu sees that her brother has decided to become friends with his would-be murderer she is appalled. She cannot wait to be older, she reasons, because then a death threat would be taken more seriously,

_"If you ever hurt my brother again,"_ Yuzu would say with a deadly voice and an icy glare, "_I will do whatever is in my power to hurt you." _


End file.
